by Camille Arab, TU 92G player

Playing and refereeing for the annual Blue Cross and Blue Shield 3v3 tournament is one of the best events of the year. Not only do they insure a positive and fun tone throughout the day, but also the level of play is high yet less intense. Because the majority of the referees are either teens or new referees (or both) it allows for first time referees to join in and not feel behind. To be a ref you have to attend a 30-minute crash course on 3v3 rules and how the day will work. If you are a younger teen or a first time ref they try to make sure the games they put you in are not predicted to be intense or hard to handle, this gives a boost in confidence in first-time refs. Because the overall atmosphere is focused on having fun, it is easy to ref and play and not feel overwhelmed or overscheduled.

I have participated in the 3v3 tournament in Chapel Hill every year since it started, and I have refereed and played almost every one of those times. Since the organizers of the tournament make sure that if you are playing and refereeing, you don’t have an overlapping schedule, causing you to go straight from refereeing to playing back-to-back. This makes it easier to get from one field to another and not feel rushed, and gives you proper time to rest and hydrate. Because of my wonderful experience with the tournament I highly recommend players to consider refereeing, and hope to come back myself and enjoy the time with friends and teammates, while earning a little cash.